Genre: Pop
Original spelling / Aliases / Search hints: 梅艷芳, 梅艳芳, Mui Yim-fong
Wiki: https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/梅艳芳

孤身走我路

孤身走我路　
独个摸索我路途
Oh… 寂寞满心内　
是谁在耳边轻鼓舞

我要唱出心里谱　
我已决意踏遍长路
跟心中怕子　
傲然独舞永没停步　
不想管终点何日到

Ah… 孤身走我路　
但信心布满路途
Oh… 路仍是我的路　
寂寞时伴我影歌中舞

孤身走我路　
是痛苦却也自豪
前面有阵阵雨洒下　
泪儿伴雨点风中舞

那怕每天都跌倒　
我信我会走得更好
心中痛苦　
无从尽诉却自流露　
风中的纤瘦影悠然自顾

Ah… 孤身走我路　
但信心布满路途
Oh… 路仍是我的路　
寂寞时伴我影歌中舞

那怕每天都跌倒　
我信我会走得更好
心中痛苦　
无从尽诉却自流露　
风中的纤瘦影悠然自顾

Ah… 孤身走我路　
但信心布满路途
Oh… 路仍是我的路　
寂寞时伴我影歌中舞

English #1 – Journeying on alone

Unaccompanied [I] embark on my voyage
In solitude finding my way by touch and feel
Oh… desolation fills my core
Who it is cheering me on so gently into my ear

I want to sing out this score from inside my heart
Doggedly I will traverse this entire passage
To [my] heart’s rhythm
With pride [I] dance on alone ever without a rest
Not a thought for what day [I] might reach the finale

Ah… unaccompanied [I] embark on my voyage
But conviction sets waypoints all along
Oh… [this is] still my voyage
[and is] my dancing companion to this song shadowing [me] whenever [I am] lonely

Unaccompanied [I] embark on my voyage
It is agonising but fills me with pride
Ahead spells of rain showering
Teardrops dancing with raindrops in the wind

Why be afraid of everyday’s tumbles
I know my pace can only become steadier
Anguish in my heart
Never knew how to begin putting [it] all into words yet it is pouring out freely [now]
[Though now] a trim[mer] silhouette in the wind [I am] at ease and willing

Ah… unaccompanied [I] embark on my voyage
But conviction sets waypoints all along
Oh… [this is] still my voyage
[and is] my dancing companion to this song shadowing [me] whenever [I am] lonely

Why be afraid of everyday’s tumbles
I know my pace can only become steadier
Anguish in my heart
Never knew how to begin putting [it] all into words yet it is pouring out freely
[Though now] a trim[mer] silhouette in the wind [I am] at ease and willing

Ah… unaccompanied [I] embark on my voyage
But conviction sets waypoints all along
Oh… [this is] still my voyage
[and is] my dancing companion to this song shadowing [me] whenever [I am] lonely

Submitted by justanotherone

Author’s comments:
孤身走我路 Could be translated multiple ways, I will explain why I have chosen the version above.

A head-on version would be like “walking my path alone”. However, there is nuance in the wording. Alone could have been 孤身, 單身 or perhaps 隻身 or 獨身; each carries a different hint of the mentality behind this aloneness. The first carries a hint of trepidation, vulnerability and unspoken tragedy (first character also found in the word for orphan). The second is by itself fairly neutral (could be translated to being “single”) though context tends to add much more to it. The third often carries a sense of confidence, audaciousness and even a hint of irreverence; similarly the fourth but then context could flip this fourth one completely to suggest trepidation too. 孤身 is the only term that does not leave much (if not any) room besides a vulnerable state. To me, implied vulnerability is evident throughout this song and its original Japanese lyrics play a big part (see bottom of comment) in influencing my choices.

Thus, I also decided on “unaccompanied” and felt a nautical idea was closer to what the song was trying to depict. Like unaccompanied minors taking their first flights, they are bound to be anxious though probably excited too and need/deserve looking after during their trip, vulnerable. Also, the characters 我路 as written could very simply and explicitly become “my road” or “my path”, however a voyage would have brought up thoughts of far more dangers, more uncertainties, far severer consequences and a sense of exploration.. This led to my choice. In addition, there is a sense that she is starting this trip, at least in the opening paragraph, either in the early stages of it or about to set sail – hence “embark”.

摸索我路途 suggests cluelessness about direction, making it up as she goes along. I avoided the idea of navigating for this reason.

我已決意踏遍長路 is straightforwardly “I am determined to step through [the] entire road”. To somehow tie this abrupt digression together in the paragraph and to survive the “voyage” corner I painted myself into, I dug my way out with “passage”, a term which can inhabit with ease in songs and voyages. In doing so, it also smoothened the edges of a somewhat intrusive digression: could be singing the entire song or sailing the whole voyage.

Similarly, an otherwise explicit translation of “destination” became “finale”, so that both metaphors can coexist.

There seems to be more than determination, to me perhaps due to bias or sheer subjectivity (and now knowing a little about the song from which this was adapted). A degree of obstinance, unwavering and not prepared to be otherwise persuaded, I see glimpses of these (ironically!) Thus, “doggedly”.

停步, given the metaphor of a music score, singing and dancing here, I chose “rest”, like something that one would find on a score instead of merely the idea of stopping her steps. “Pause” could have worked here too.

信心, quite literally “trusting heart” is more commonly or normally translated as confidence. Confidence in this context of loneliness, agony and falling, seems incongruent, false confidence. So, it is more of a belief, faith in the absence of knowing, her conviction.

布滿路途 could have been translated as “covers my path” or “scattered throughout the trail” or “paved the path” and so on, but given I had cornered myself with “voyage”, I stretched it to “setting bearing” since the lyrics hint at being guided by conviction.

風中的纖瘦影 as worded is frustrating, winds do not cause shadows, but I decided not to fight this one for now. They sort of do in aerodynamic terms, but bringing in an engineering concept while somewhat relevant to sailing would only break things quickly here.

===

As background, this was a Momoe Yamaguchi song originally. A song ultimately about agency, testing times and this uniquely Japanese notion of “true heart” (真心, まごころ). It was the opening song in her farewell concert on 5 October 1980, “This is my trial”. An album with the same name was her last, released some two weeks later, after her retirement. Her decision to retire at 21 after a meteoric yet short career of some 8 years stunned her fans. She decided to abandon all of that to marry her on-screen sweetheart.

She made a brief speech during the concert about the decision and apologised for her “willful” choice, declared that her new role was to be about happiness of a new family (she grew up without one) and promised she would have happily-ever-after. They are still today voted as the most admired couple in Japan. Initially the public thought it was a stunt, she would return, but she has literally shunned the publicity ever since and despite continual media interest to this day.

That song’s lyrics spoke about a life-changing decision she had made, and is loaded with meaning specific to her situation, no mixed metaphors. She inspired a few generations of Cantonese singers and songwriters, who not only used her music but lyrics too.

Mui’s version, albeit themed similarly, is simplistic, heavy on sentimentalism (for its own sake) and thin on meaning. But, I confess to knowing even less about Mui. (This is only a shallow bit of research as my familiarity with all of this, including Yamaguchi and the song I am translating here, is as yet only weeks old).